Man accused of throwing fire pit through window, hitting police car

DUNDALK, Md. (WMAR) — A man is accused of breaking into a home, throwing a fire pit through a window and ramming several vehicles including a police car.

“I woke up to the boom,” Mark Cerreta said.

It was a rude awakening for people like Cerreta who were fast asleep when the violent rampage started on Westfield road.

“He threw a chair into the yard kicked the grill over,” said Baltimore County Police Cpl. Shawn Vinson. “At some point, he picked up the fire pit and actually threw it the kitchen window. Then he sticks his head in through the kitchen window and is yelling into the house and is threatening one of the occupants inside the house.”

Vinson said 24-year-old Stephen Bernadyn started the ruckus around 5 a.m. Saturday, July 28.

As police filed their report of the home break-in, Bernadyn noticed the officers down the road.

“He starts to accelerate at a high rate of speed towards the three officers and patrol cars that are alongside the roadway,” Vinson said. “At this point, the officers are fearing for their lives and have to run from the path of the truck.”

Using his car as a battering ram he hit one police car knocking it into another.

Banging and breaking a line of vehicles parked on the side of the road.

“I know he totaled one car at least, with the police cars and the cars that he hit 7 cars altogether,” Cerreta said.

None of the police officers were injured during the incident.

One of the police cars had to be towed.

Bernadyn tried to drive away in his truck but was brought into custody after his truck couldn’t move anymore.

Bernadyn is facing a list of charges including burglary, first-degree assault, and malicious destruction of property.

“He was like resisting arrest and the cops telling him to stop it shut up,” Neighbor Christina Williar said. “The police said would you listen to her and he got in the cop car.”

Bob Dodson said the people in the neighborhood take care of each other and things like this don’t usually happen.

“People are just trying to get up take people to work and go do their own work,” Dodson said. “You have to spend the whole day cleaning up the mess, other than that he gets what he gets.”

Bernadyn is currently being held at the Baltimore County Department of Corrections on denied bail status.